A Practical Guide to Leadership and Management in Academic Radiology is a comprehensive, yet succinct, reference for leaders of academic radiology departments. Ronald L. Arenson, MD, and Cathy Garzio, MBA, draw on their experience as the chairman and administrative director, respectively, of the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), to provide insight into the operations of an academic radiology department. The text, by virtue of its thoroughness, specificity, and candor, is readily accessible to readers of all experience levels. Several charts and tables are included to enhance the text and clarify important concepts.
The authors place a heavy emphasis on balancing the clinical, educational, and investigational missions of an academic department. Broadly speaking, the authors suggest that the key to achieving such a balance is assembling the right combination of people, money, and physical space. From this starting point, they delve into highly specific discussions of each of these key resources with practical strategies for developing them. The chapter on financial management includes detailed descriptions of forecasting professional revenues, budgeting, and cost containment. Advice is offered on negotiating for physical space from the medical center and for allocating that space at the departmental level. Throughout the text, extensive attention is paid to the task of team building (note, for instance, the specific discussion on formulating professional fee assumptions on page 43).
Chapter 11 marks a dynamite discussion on developing the departmental research mission, whether one is starting from scratch or expanding an existing program. There is useful information on research cost containment, understanding National Institutes of Health funding, allocating research space, and calculating recharge rates. Elsewhere, hard-bitten advice is offered on pre- and post-award grant portfolio management. Other outstanding discussions include those on faculty recruitment and retention, with a particularly welcome discussion of promoting diversity among department faculty and staff.
Although the authors clearly put considerable effort into selecting and developing each topic, one could quibble over a few editorial decisions. The chapter on information systems is exhaustive and arguably warrants a stand-alone discussion as a separate book. Meanwhile, the discussion on fund-raising and alumni relations was lamentably lean, with only a glimpse into the origin and workings of the UCSF Department of Radiology’s Margulis Society.
In all, A Practical Guide to Leadership and Management in Academic Radiology will serve as a reliable guidebook and reference for anyone motivated to improve the function of a medical imaging department. Although the book is clearly targeted to administrative and clinical leaders in academic environments, much of the information within is applicable to leaders of private practice groups, especially to those contracting with tertiary medical centers. Never relying on platitudes but rather grounding each discussion in candid detail, Arenson and Garzio offer a wealth of practical information that warrants a place on the bookshelf of anyone who leads (or aspires to lead) a medical imaging department.
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